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| | Originally Published In
St. Louis Small Business Monthly
December 2009
Universal Business Supply Continues To Stand Out From Competitors
Universal Business Supply was founded in July of 2001 and has grown to be one of the most progressive providers of office supplies across the United States. Growing their staff from 14 to 40 employees, 12 of the original UBS team members are still employees. “Our team has grown up in the industry and that’s why their expertise is so incredible,” says Jerry Holschen, President. UBS now lists more than 30,000 products in its catalog and has more than 80,000 items available. And its primary competitors are who Holschen calls “the big guys”, but he’s proud to explain why UBS stands out from the crowd. Price Guarantee. UBS promises to always beat any competitor’s nationally advertised pricing. Product Guarantee. UBS stands behind every product they sell and every service they perform and will immediately resolve any issue, replace any item or issue full credit. At Universal Business Supply, they realize that the purchase is simply the beginning of the transaction, not the end. Superior Shipping. Not only does UBS offer free next day shipping, the company ships to all 50 states, Canada and Mexico. Expert Sales And Customer Service Staff. The product knowledge of the UBS Sales/CS team will far surpass a person in the “big guy’s” call centers. They will take the time to get to know you, your company and your needs and then make product recommendations. Even if the product you need isn’t in their catalog, they will find it for you. “If you would call one of the big guys and ask for a purple lamp, they would say, ‘We don’t carry that. We can’t help’,” says Jerry Holschen, founder of UBS. “If you call us, we’ll get you the purple lamp.” And when you do call UBS, there is no automated system to fight through. You’re immediately connected to one of their team members. UBS Drivers. UBS drivers are more like customer service representatives than drivers. “They make the delivery where the customer specifies, not a drop off to the front or back door,” say Holschen. “For example, they often take copy paper into the customer’s office and place it next to the copy machine. And if the customer needs to return anything, the driver will take the merchandise without our customer having to pick up the phone.” Lower Overall Cost. “The big guys spend millions convincing people they have the best prices, but that’s not true,” says Holschen. “Price doesn’t equal cost. You can throw low prices out there, but when it comes down to the cost of the total number of items bought in a year, I’ll bet on our prices.” And the team at UBS works hard to educate their customers and save them money. “We work hard to make sure our customers are aware of house brand options, which always means saving,” says Holschen. “And we make sure our customers are aware of manufacturer specials. For instance, HP often has promotions that if you buy specific cartridges, you receive a gas card or cash rebate. We post those on our website,track their purchases and notify them to be sure they receive their HP reward.” One Supplier Advantage. Just having hired inside and outside customer service sales representatives to focus on hardware for computers, UBS is now a one-stop-shop for your office supply needs. From paper and toner to PCs, printers, routers and cables, customers can place one phone call and fulfill all of their office supply needs. UBS even offers custom designed furniture, like cubicles, as well as installation. Recycling Pick Up. UBS recently introduced a free recycling pick up program for all clients, giving them an alternative to landfills for paper, aluminum, plastics and laser and ink jet cartridges. For more information on UBS, call 314-298-0153 or visit www.universalbusinesssupply.com.
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Originally Published In The Better Business Bureau's "The Bridge" January 2004
Customer Service Sets Firm Apart
By Phil Moses
Customer Connection Director Hidden away in the vast maze that is the Earth City industrial complex thrives a company that would not exist were it not for an incredible culture of superior customer service.
Universal Business Supply is a commercial distributor of paper, toner cartridges, and paper cups, nothing you would consider unique.
Nor is there much difference in the thousands of other items Universal sells, from a package of pens to a suite of office furniture.
What sets this company apart is the treatment of its customers.
Only into its third year of spectacular growth, Universal Business Supply, like the company profiled elsewhere in this month's Bridge, is family centered.
Jerry Holschen, the company president, recruited his wife, brother, son, sister-in-law and two brothers-in-law, plus a tight circle of business supply veterans.
Representing some 300 years of business products experience, this cadre was determined to duplicate the success they achieved at their previous employer, American Loose Leaf/Business Products.
Universal is a commercial distributor in direct competition with the huge office products chains and the corner stationers.
Its "store-front" is a 27,000-item catalog displaying every conceivable item that might be used in an office and many that one would never expect.
Their customer-relations policy is uncluttered: treat every customer with kindness and respect, and when they order one item or a thousand items, before 5 p.m. today, it will be delivered tomorrow.
To accomplish this mission requires the expected sophistication in computer expertise and a close relationship with a large wholesaler, United Stationers, a national distribution resource.
Universal needs this broad-based capability because although virtually all of its customers are St. Louis-based, many have affiliations from coast to coast. Theirs is a strong relationship.
United Stationers trucks deliver orders at 2:30 to 3 a.m. The drivers have keys to let themselves into the warehouse.
But computers, state-of-the-art software, warehousing and sound supplier relations are not unique to Universal.
People Set Firm Apart
What sets it apart is its people, who combine experience with an enviable work ethic. Of the five customer service representatives, the person with the least experience has been in the business eight years.
Each of the women has her own customer portfolio, and each is empowered far beyond the norm to resolve difficulties. The only management dictum is "Use common sense, and never antagonize the customer."
And one other thing: the only time voice mail is employed is when the customer service representative is busy and the customer requests voicemail.
High Morale Level
This freedom still does not explain the practices and procedures that guarantee one-day service or account for the high level of morale in the work force.
There are two reasons: first, and most obvious, is an all-employee bonus system based on net earnings.
Yes, there is a chart on the wall of the sales office that records new account acquisitions, but it's only there to whet competition.
The owners rotate their assignments; President Jerry Holschen's day is Wednesday, but he fills in when necessary. The five loaded trucks move out no later than 7:30 a.m.
Sales and marketing V.P. Dave Holschen works Mondays. When asked what he and the others do after the trucks leave, he said, "Oh, that's when we go out and sell."
Selling by co-owners Gene Bogucki, Sheri Accardi, and Bob Holschen is the traditional combination of opening new accounts and servicing their existing business.
They are aided in their servicing by various usage reports developed by co-owner Ken Venhaus. These customer status reports identify cost-saving opportunities and manage incentive offerings from suppliers.
Yet it is not all nose-to-the-grindstone. Each month there's a potluck lunch in the warehouse, and year-end profit sharing is celebrated at an all employee dinner with families.
Now in his early 50s, Jerry Holschen thrives on running a highly intense operation. One sees why when he says, "Our growth and success are built upon the unselfish work we do each day and the unconditional support of our customers, as well as each other - I'm privileged to be part of such a talented team."
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Originally Published In
The St. Louis Business Journal
September 20, 2002
By Ron Jancke
Business activity: Jerry Holschen was enjoying retirement until family members and others he had worked with convinced him to start his own company.
For the first time in his career, Holschen had to put together a business plan. With help from Mary Shannon of Tax Strategies, he devised a plan for operating a wholesale business supply company.
After two banks turned him down through form letters, Holschen met with a senior vice president of First Banks. When Holschen finished outlining his plan, First Bank's response was, "How much money do you need?"
In July 2, 2001, Holschen and 13 others opened Universal Business Supply in Earth City. Most of the employees had been with Corporate Express, the company that had purchased the assets of bankrupt U.S. Office Products.
"The sales people had been at Corporate Express, and we weren't sure how they would react. We had an unbelievable response. Sales people would make 20 calls in a day and we would get 20 customers. People seemed to like dealing with a locally owned company."
Most of the early customers were from the St. Louis area and constitute about three-quarters of the clients today. Universal has a contract with United Stationers in Greenville, Ill., a distributor which has 35 centers in the United States, and enables Universal to keep very little inventory on hand.
Because of today's sophisticated technology, if the company receives an order by 2 p.m., it can be delivered by the next day. Universal has five trucks hauling products throughout the area. People report to work at 4 a.m. and all trucks usually leave the dock by 8:00 a.m.
Universal lists more than 26,000 items in its catalog and has 60,000-70,000 items available. "With computers, some people said we would become a paperless society. Paper-copy paper, printing paper - is by far the biggest seller," Holschen said. "We sell a trailer load of paper each week, that's 840 cartons a week.
"Basically, we carry anything people have in an office, including light bulbs and Breakroom supplies, such as coffee and bottled water."
Executives: Jerry Holschen, 53 is a native of St. Louis who attended Florissant Valley College. He has been in the business products supply industry for 34 years, starting in 1968. Holschen worked for American Loose Leaf for many years, advancing to senior vice president. He remained after the company was bought by U.S. Office Products from the Mendelson family and retired from the firm in January 2000.
His wife, Patti, works as receptionist and unofficial director of human resources.
Other owners of the company are David Holschen, Jerry's brother, who has the second largest stake in the company and is its sales manager. Jerry's son, Bobby Holschen, along with Gene Bogucki, Sherri Accardi and Ken Venhaus, own equal amounts of stock.
Ron Garner is warehouse manager; Frank Pope, who has been in the office products industry for 43 years, does all the purchasing; Donna Bower is the lead customer service representative and has 24 years experience in the industry.
Company History: When Holschen decided to start Universal, he had some distinct advantages and disadvantages.
Not only did he have encouragement from relatives and former co-workers, but Holschen had been in the industry for more than 30 years and had a host of contacts.
However, it is a highly competitive field that includes giants such as Office Depot and Boise Cascade. "Some of our competitors said some disparaging things about us, saying we wouldn't make it." Holschen said.
Signing on with United Stationers, which has $13 million inventory, was a big plus. It ensured Universal would have not only a sufficient amount of supplies, but also fast delivery around the country. "They have a center in Industry, Calif., " Holschen said. "It's near LA and we have a lot of business in California."
Holschen, who said he takes a conservative approach to business, keeps overhead low and the organization flat. The firm has 25 employees, including seven family members, and Holschen said the company can increase its business without adding people. The company employees eight sales people.
Because overhead is kept low, Universal not only can be competitive on price with some of the large-volume companies, but provide a better price at times, Holschen said.
He said all customers are contacted at least once a month, and the firm carries a database of 1,000 customers.
Companies, such as Sara Lee and Stifel Nicolaus, which started doing business with Universal in St. Louis, get their supplies nationwide from Universal.
Universal had revenue of $6 million in it's first year, and Holschen said, conservatively, the company will double its revenue this year.
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